DH secures down on unlawful stogie smoking cigarettes in no-smoking locations (with images)
*************************************************************************
The Tobacco and Alcohol Control Office (TACO) of the Department of Health (DH) performed surprise examinations in Kwun Tong today (May 30) and released an overall of 3 repaired charge notifications (FPNs) in an effort to secure down on unlawful stogie cigarette smoking in no-smoking locations.
Throughout the operation codenamed “Smokeshield”officers from TACO (consisting of plainclothes officers) performed assessments and enforcement action at one stogie retail store in Kwun Tong, and released an overall of 3 FPNs to individuals smoking cigarettes stogies unlawfully at the properties. TACO’s examination is continuous, and prosecution might likewise be taken versus operators of the stogie retail store who are presumed of assisting and abetting smoking cigarettes offenses.
Under the Smoking (Public Health) Ordinance (Ordinance), smoking cigarettes in a statutory no-smoking location (consisting of indoor locations of stores) is restricted. Anyone who smokes in a statutory no-smoking locations is accountable to a repaired charge of $3,000. Location supervisors of statutory no-smoking locations are empowered by the Ordinance to ask for a smoking cigarettes transgressor to stop the act. If the culprit is not co-operative, the supervisor of the no-smoking location might get in touch with the Police for support.
Where cigarette smoking items (consisting of stogies) are offered, whether in stogie retail stores or otherwise, the constraints on the promo and sale of smoking cigarettes items stated in the Ordinance use. Transgressors are accountable on summary conviction to an optimum fine of $50,000.
In addition, under the Criminal Procedure Ordinance, anyone who assists, abets, counsels or acquires the commission by another individual of any offense will be guilty of the exact same offense.
“From January 2025 to date, the DH has conducted over 42 inspections of cigar shops regarding illegal smoking activities, and issued a total of eight FPNs for illegal smoking in these premises. The DH will continue to closely monitor and rigorously enforce the law against smoking in no-smoking areas, as well as the illegal sale and promotion of smoking products,” stated the Head of TACO, Dr Manny Lam.
He warned that stogie cigarette smoking is simply as hazardous to health as other cigarette smoking items, and advised cigarette smokers to give up as early as possible for their own health which of their friends and family. In assistance of the World Health Organization’s World No Tobacco Day on May 31 each year, the DH is releasing the ‘Quit in June’ project. Free one-week cigarette smoking cessation drug trial packs are being dispersed at over 300 neighborhood drug stores, smoking cigarettes cessation centers, District Health Centres (DHCs)/ DHC Expresses and DH centers, while complimentary Chinese medication ear points spots are readily available at over 200 designated Chinese medication centers to assist reduce withdrawal signs. The DH has actually teamed up with the School of Nursing of the University of Hong Kong to introduce a pilot AI-assisted smoking cigarettes cessation counselling service – “Chat to Quit” this year. The AI offers precise and suitable smoking cigarettes cessation details immediately, and provides customised smoking cigarettes cessation counselling according to users’ cigarette smoking history and stopping choices. It can likewise offer psychological assistance.
The DH likewise runs an incorporated Smoking Cessation Hotline (1833 183) to address queries about smoking cigarettes cessation, and offer expert counselling and recommendation services. Members of the general public can go to the smoking cigarettes cessation thematic site (www.livetobaccofree.hk) for additional information on cigarette smoking cessation and associated assistance tools and services. They can likewise download the “Quit Smoking App” to monitor their stopping development and get pointers on combating yearnings to keep a tobacco-free life.